Wickedly funny in the way of Douglas Adams (THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY), Connolly tells the story of a British schoolboy who happens to see strange goings-on through the basement window of a neighbor's house. It turns out that the Hadron Collider in Cern, Switzerland, had a bit accidentally "whiz off" three days before Halloween, and now, well, all hell is literally breaking loose. Jonathan Cake's many voices are reminiscent, too—of the versatile Jim Dale. Cake draws each character with precision, spotlighting that dry Brit humor that works so well in the right hands. And Cake is adept at bringing the whole cast to vivid life—from lovable Sam and his canine sidekick, Boswell, to the horrible Mrs. Abernathy, who no longer looks or smells quite human. Even the cops and clergymen, trapped by rampaging monsters, are cleverly drawn. Cake does adults, kids, and demons with an equally droll tone.
Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2009
Duration: 7 hrs
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Intricate, textured weirdness rewards listeners throughout this sprawling, gloriously strange epic.
Colin Mace and Emma Spurgin Hussey narrate a generations-spanning tale of grief, conspiracy, and horror that takes its haunting premise deadly seriously. Hussey voices Maur, desolate after her son's mysterious death and desperate for answers, with a restrained intimacy, tracking her slide from mourning into obsession through shifts in pace and breath. Mace brings weathered gravel to Allerdyce, a veteran undeterred by the grim, often gross underbelly of those answers, letting long silences land before revelations. The author's interjections add an eerie texture. Both narrators keep the dense, allusive prose clear across a century of violence, building dread without tipping into melodrama.
Intricate, textured weirdness rewards listeners throughout this sprawling, gloriously strange epic.Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
Duration: 40 hrs, 43 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217020959
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2026
This highly satisfying quest brims with humor and friendship courtesy of Church.
During a magical adventure set in a traveling bookshop, narrator Imogen Church ensures that each conversation is a dramatic experience. Listeners meet failed book witch Louella Twig, whose strident tones mask her loneliness. She encounters former thief Everett Sharp who, intrigued, parries Louella's defenses with his deep, rolling voice. When Louella's former mentor, Feralorn, asks for her help finding pages from his grimoire, Louella accepts the quest. Church's voice for Feralorn is that of a creaky trumpet—highly distinctive, occasionally overwhelming. Church gives each character their own voice and mannerisms, including gnomes and a European wizard. Pacing, phrasing, and inflection are deployed skillfully to denote emotion, especially between Louella and Everett.
This highly satisfying quest brims with humor and friendship courtesy of Church.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 12 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798898856663
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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